News snippets from around the world

South Africa’s most-wanted: 10 SA nationals on Interpol ‘red list’

Interpol have a clutch of South Africans on their ‘red list’. Here’s what you need to know about the most-wanted criminals from our shores. South Africa has a rather uncomfortable relationship with crime. The statistics can be a tough read upon their annual publication, and some of our biggest cities are renowned for their criminal elements. So it’s perhaps no surprise to learn that 10 SA nationals feature on Interpol’s most-wanted list.

WHAT IS THE INTERPOL RED LIST?

The infamous ‘wall of shame’ features thousands of lawbreakers from all across the world. They are fugitives who have, in one way or another, managed to abscond justice. The Interpol ‘red list’ gathers intel on their crimes, identities, and personal information – and gives sweeping powers to regional authorities who suspect they may have located one of these suspects:

“Red Notices are issued for fugitives wanted either for prosecution or to serve a sentence. A Red Notice is a request to law enforcement worldwide to locate and provisionally arrest a person pending extradition, surrender, or similar legal action.”

(Source: www.thesouthafrican.com/)

Cybercrime on the rise again, customers urged to be cautious

Businesses are also at risk, with cyber criminals using various means to try to access their banking or customer data. Cybercrime is on the rise again as more people are using digital platforms to work, shop and do their banking. “Fraudsters are constantly looking for new ways to get your information,” said Giuseppe Virgillito from FNB’s digital banking department.

“When customers or businesses let their guard down in transacting or operating digitally, it gives fraudsters more opportunity to commit their crimes.”

Virgillito said fraudsters go to any means to get individuals or organisations to divulge their personal or financial information, often by tricking them with technology. (

Source: www.citizen.co.za)

Government wants to ‘track’ all South Africans from birth – here’s why

The Civilian Secretariat for Police provided an update on a number of proposed pieces of legislation it is considering to parliament this week, including a new bill which could allow for the tracking of South Africans from birth in an effort to help combat crime.

The Criminal Law (Forensic Procedures) Amendment Act came into operation in January 2015 and provides for, among other things, the taking of buccal samples – a sample of a person’s saliva taken from the person’s mouth – from all convicted Schedule 8 offenders for the purposes of forensic DNA analysis.

The purpose of the updated bill is to strengthen this legislation for criminal investigations and ensure the prosecution of repeat offenders.

However, the bill was put on hold pending a proposal to the minister of Home Affairs to investigate the feasibility of the extension of buccal sampling to all citizens in the country and not just criminals.

(Source: www.businesstech.co.za)

Sword-wielding man arrested after Halloween deaths in Quebec

A man dressed in medieval clothing and armed with a Japanese sword was arrested Sunday on suspicion of killing two people and wounding five others on Halloween near the historic Château Frontenac hotel in Quebec City. The attack on randomly chosen victims went on for nearly 21/2 hours while police pursued the man, armed with a katana, throughout the city’s downtown core on foot, Quebec Police Chief Robert Pigeon said. Quebec’s prosecutor’s office said Carl Girouard, 24, faces two counts of first-degree murder and five counts of attempted murder.

(Source: www.msn.com)

Criminal records for admission of guilt offences to be expunged, says Minister

South Africans, criminal records – including some of those obtained during the Covid-19 pandemic – will be expunged, according to Deputy Justice Minister John Jeffery.

Jeffery told Sunday Independent that a review of the regulations in the Judicial Matters Bill had been on the cards long before lockdown, with the intention to wipe the slate clean for people with records for certain categories of admission of guilt offences.

The deputy minister said many people had paid admission of guilt fines as an “easy solution”, without knowing that this would leave them with criminal records. The government was now looking at removing the criminal records of those who found themselves in this situation. “We have identified for a while that in terms of the Criminal Procedure Act, there is a problem with admission of guilt fines resulting in people having criminal records,” Jeffery said. More than 150 000 people have criminal records over Covid-19 regulation breaches alone – though this figure, according to the deputy minister, could be higher.

(Source: www.iol.co.za)

Mob kills Eastern Cape man believed to have murdered 6-year-old girl

The police condemned all acts of vigilantism and public violence.

A man from Mdantsane in the Eastern Cape was chased, assaulted and eventually murdered by a mob who believed he had killed a 6-year-old girl.

The group was seemingly convinced the man had raped and killed the girl on Tuesday and left her body on the side of the road.

Senior police management in the Eastern Cape has strongly condemned the acts of vigilantism which led to the death of the man, who was in his twenties.

According to South African Police Service (SAPS) spokesperson Captain Khaya Tonjeni, a case of murder has been opened for investigation.

“Police are following strong leads and no arrests have been made as yet,” he said.

(Source: www.citizen.co.za)

Chicago gun violence still up 50% through end of October as other crime falls

Shootings and murders have risen over 50% in 2020 compared with the same period last year.

Meanwhile, 67 Chicago police officers have been shot at — 10 of them struck by bullets — so far this year. That’s nearly a four-fold increase from last year when 17 officers were shot at, two of them struck by gunfire.

These are some of the new crime statistics, released Sunday by the Chicago Police Department, showing trends through the end of October.

Despite skyrocketing gun violence — against citizens and police — the CPD said other crime decreased in 2020 as a Coronavirus pandemic shut down much of the city.

Overall crime fell 7% during the first 10 months of 2020 compared with the same time last year, the department said.

The largest reduction in crime was theft, which dropped 27% from last year, the department said. Reports of burglary also fell 6% this year compared with 2019. Month-to-month, burglary declined 27% in October 2020 compared with October 2019. The department also says it’s seeing 20-year lows in burglary, robbery, theft and overall crime. (Source: www.chicago.suntimes.com)

Police sergeant among 10 suspects arrested for ATM bombings

Police say explosives believed to be used in the ATM bombing at a mall were among the items seized.

A police sergeant is among seven more suspects arrested for ATM bombings in Limpopo, bringing the total number of arrests to 10. Police spokesperson Colonel Moatshe Ngoepe said Limpopo police commissioner Lieutenant-General Nneke Ledwaba welcomed the arrests. The arrests follow an ATM bombing in the early hours of Wednesday morning at Mahlakung mall in Ga-Sekororo outside Tzaneen. Ngoepe said, following the arrests of the seven suspects, including a 41-year-old police detective sergeant, the total number of those arrested in connection with the ATM bombing now stands at 10. Ngoepe said the suspects allegedly entered the mall, accosted a security officer and blasted two ATMs and drop safes. “They then proceeded to a cellphone store and blasted open another drop safe. An undisclosed amount of cash was taken,” Ngoepe said.

(Source: www.citizen.co.za)

Colchester drug crime is up by 90% as police hunt dealers

Drug offences have soared by 94 per cent in Colchester over the past year, new figures have revealed.

Stats released from the Office for National Statistics showed there were 1,056 drug offences in a 12-month period. This was up from 543 the year before. Violent crime also rose slightly with 7,628 incidents in 12 months - an increase of 294 cases or four per cent compared to the previous year.

One of the main factors behind the increase was the “rise in violence without injury” which rose by ten per cent, from 2,944 incidents to 3,247. These latest figures, which include part of the coronavirus lockdown period, show a significant drop in theft, robbery and burglary.

In all, the total number of offences in Colchester fell by one per cent, with police recording 18,095 crimes over the course of a year up until this June.

(Source: www.gazette-news.co.uk)

Police arrest more suspects linked to Magalies mountain crime spike

The suspects are linked to armed robberies, kidnapping and murder cases that have been plaguing the area for months. Four suspects have been added to the growing list of suspects linked to a recent spate of robberies and other serious crimes in Theo Martins Poort, in the Magalies mountain area along the R80 Mabopane highway. Last weekend, five suspects were arrested, bringing the total of suspects to nine. The suspects, which were arrested last weekend, were linked to an armed robbery case, which took place in Akasia in September, as well as kidnapping, murder and armed robberies.

Three of the suspects were arrested at a hideout in Marabastad on 14 October. The other two were already in custody, after their alleged involvement in armed robberies. They appeared in the Pretoria North Magistrate’s Court on 19 October. Police said a number of victims have come forward in the past week, which led to the latest arrests. Three of the latest suspects are linked to a murder reported to Akasia SAPS in September, and a fourth suspect, who is 19 years old, has been linked to two armed robbery cases, reported to Pretoria North and Hercules SAPS, in May and August respectively.

(Source: www.citizen.co.za)

Domestic abuse now reclassified as a violent crime in Oklahoma

As of 1 November, Oklahoma’s list of violent crimes expanded to include four domestic abuse charges. Governor Kevin Stitt signed a bill in May defining the four domestic abuse charges. Because of how House Bill 3251 redefined domestic abuse, the domestic violence offender could now face more prison time if convicted. The bill reclassifies four domestic abuse charges, including domestic abuse by strangulation and assault with a dangerous weapon, as violent crimes.

(Source: www.kjrh.com)

South Africa Remains a Top Hotspot for Cargo Crime

South Africa ranks among the top countries in the world, and first on the African continent, for BSI’s forecasted losses due to cargo theft, underscoring the significant economic impact of this issue in the nation. Historically, there is an inverse relationship between crime and economic growth in South Africa. However, this year, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the impacts of lockdowns and a decline in the economy, an additional layer was added to that relationship.

The economic decline, along with the changes brought about by a restrictive lockdown in response to Covid-19 earlier this year, left the freight sector in a vulnerable situation. South Africa is an environment traditionally characterised by cargo truck hijackings. Further, crossborder truck congestion and slower freight clearance created secondary disruptions that leave cargo even more susceptible to theft and general violence.

(Source: www.aviationpros.com)

Amsterdam to focus on new approach for helping sex crime victims

Amsterdam will focus more on tailor-made and individual-based aid for girls and young women who were victims of a sex crime like gang rape, sexual exploitation, or sextortion, the city said in a press release. The municipality is thereby following advice from the National Raporteur on Human Trafficking and Sexual Violence Against Children. At the request of Amsterdam mayor Femke Halsema, Rapporteur Herman Bolhaar investigated how to better protect and help these girls and young women.

Bolhaar analysed the cases of 10 Amsterdam teenage girls who became “entangled in a web of sex, street culture and violence”, the municipality said in a press statement. This sometimes included sexual contact in the gray area between consent and rape. There were sexual contacts in exchange for money, drugs, or expensive clothing, sometimes involving multiple girls and multiple boys and men. The girls were also blackmailed through social media.

(Source: www.nltimes.nl)

Senekal killing: Brendin Horner murder suspects back in court

Brendin Horner image via Facebook

Sekola Matlaletsa and Sekwetje Mahlamba appeared in the Senekal Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday, 20 October, but the matter was postponed. The two men accused of being behind the savage killing of farm manager Brendin Horner, are expected to once again appear before the Senekal Magistrate’s Court on Thursday, 22 October 2020 to continue their application for bail. Sekola Matlaletsa and Sekwetje Mahlamba are said to have strangled the 21-year-old man to death and stabbed him multiple times on 1 October. His lifeless body was tied to a pole and a rope was around his neck – the gruesome discovery was made by Horner’s own father, Robbie, on the DeRots farm outside Paul Roux.

(Source: www.thesouthafrican.com)